Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Embraer To Overhaul Brazilian AMX Fighters

LONDON - Embraer has inked a deal to perform structural overhaul, repair and replacement of outdated equipment on Brazilian Air Force AMX fighter jets.
South America's biggest aerospace company said the contract, which covers 43 aircraft, is worth about $250 million, and the work would be completed within 70 months.

The deal complements a contract signed several years ago to modernize the AMX's electronic systems. Work on that is ongoing.
Embraer said the maiden flight of the single-seat prototype with modernized electronics is planned for early 2012, with first delivery expected by the end of that year.
Orlando Jose Ferreira Neto, Embraer's commercial vice president for defense and security, said in a statement the latest deal would enable the company to "more adequately get the aircraft prepared for their subsequent [electronics] modernization program, under the ongoing contract, so as to ensure a more efficient and steady flow for the fighters' overall updating."
The AMX was jointly developed by Brazil and Italy, principally involving Alenia Aeronautica and Embraer. The Brazilian Air Force has been operating the aircraft since 1990.